Black Friday is technically in full swing after an early kickoff, meaning we have a week's worth of deals to peruse. This is certainly good news if you've been eyeing up a big purchase, such as some new home cinema kit, as you've got some time to settle on a deal. If you're in the market for an AVR, however, then you might as well pull the trigger on this Denon, as I'm convinced it won't be beaten.
At £300 off the asking price, this Denon has been on sale for a couple of weeks now, as eagle-eyed readers may recognise that we've highlighted this deal. However, that was before the Black Friday sales truly kicked into high gear, and now that we're in the midst of the sales event, it still seems to be the best AV amplifier deal around right now.
Looking at the competition, few other brands have budged on their price points, with the Sony TA-AN100 that dethroned this (still excellent) AVR at the 2023 What Hi-Fi? Awards sticking firm at its £999 price tag.
You're certainly not settling with this Denon delight, however, as this five-star AVR also secured the illustrious Product of the Year award in the home cinema amplifiers category in our 2022 list. Bundle that with the fact it's nearly half the price of the Sony competitor, then the Denon is easily the better buy this Black Friday.
Denon has been dominating the AV receiver market for some time now, so we weren't hugely surprised when the amp launched in September 2022 and proceeded to set a new benchmark for performance. Its initial launch price was £869, or £899 for the version with a DAB module. The Denon is a seven-channel AVR with 95W per channel (two channels driven, 8 Ohms 20Hz-20kHz).
In our Denon AVR-X2800H review, we praised its "mature and authoritative sound" and "well-spread soundstage". Dialogue is lively and engaging, while its dynamic ability gives movies a fantastic sense of atmosphere. It's a musical performer too, and soundtracks are communicated with minimal effort.
As you would expect from a Denon AVR, you are treated to a wide selection of connectivity options, including six HDMI inputs and two outputs. Three of the inputs are HDMI 2.1 ports and as a result, play nicely with 8K@60Hz or 4K@120Hz signals. Various HDR codecs, including HDR10, HDR10+, Dolby Vision and Hybrid Log-Gamma (HLG) are all supported, while gamers can be safe in the knowledge they also have VRR, QFT, ALLM and FRL (Frame Rate Link) at their disposal.
There is also hi-res audio support and streaming smarts to take advantage of with Apple AirPlay 2, Spotify Connect, Roon and HEOS, Denon’s multi-room software. Bluetooth is also there if you simply want to stream some tunes from a smartphone.
The 2800 also features a redesigned user interface which we described as "smart-looking and informative". Set-up is carried out by the built-in Audyssey MultEQ XT calibration software, and of course, you can use the Denon to drive a Dolby Atmos or DTS:X system should you wish.
The Denon has come up against some tough competition this year, but at £300 off the usual asking price, this deal affirms that it's still a formidable home cinema receiver.
Now, Black Friday certainly isn't over yet, so there is always a slim chance that another AVR swoops in at a hefty discount (that's your cue Sony), but it would take some serious savings to dethrone this excellent deal.
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6 mistakes to avoid with your AV receiver
What Hi-Fi? Awards 2022: Denon dethrones itself in the AVR category
